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New Prairie School has grand opening

New facility made for 21st century

By Dan Barker

Times News Editor

Posted:
08/16/2013 09:41:43 AM MDT

Leaders, staff and students all took part in the ribbon cutting for the grand opening of the new Prairie School. The old school was torn down and a completely new building put up over the summer. (Dan Barker / Fort Morgan Times)

Prairie School District Superintendent Joe Kimmel talked about the process of building a new school and thanked everyone who was part of the project during the grand opening Thursday afternoon. (Dan Barker / Fort Morgan Times)

The new Prairie School has all the technology and infrastructure needed for a 21st century school.

That was the comment of Principal Tabitha Piel at the grand opening of the all-new facility Thursday afternoon.

The old school was torn down and construction began in May for the new school building, which is very nearly done. All staff were working to put a shine on it before the crowd came to look around.

The pre-kindergarten to 12th grade school now has a specific distance learning classroom with wide-screen TVs and high-tech laboratories. There will be nearly a computer for every student, Piel said.

The school has a computer lab, but kids will also have netbooks in classrooms, she said. The younger kids will even have iPads.

Indy Hosier, left, and Dorian Wright, both 13 and from Fort Morgan, enjoy the new gym at the brand-new Prairie School built this summer. (Dan Barker / Fort Morgan Times)

The science and agricultural laboratories are state-of-the-art. The ag lab has the equipment to do things like artificial insemination of livestock and hydroponic projects, Piel said.

Also, the school has a "huge, beautiful gym," Piel said, as well as a weight room and a multi-purpose room.

The multi-purpose room will have a stage with theater seating, which was a special wish of Prairie Board of Education President Skip Johnson.

The project cost $17 million. Funding for it came mostly from a $13 million Building Excellent School Today grant from the state. The remainder of the money came from the approval of a bond election by voters.

As with many bond elections, there were those who did not want to pay more taxes, but it passed with 86 percent in favor, Johnson said.

Most people realized the school is the heart of the communities of New Raymer and Stoneham, he said.

"There will be great memories in this school," Johnson said.

He thanked the community for its support of the project, as well as the board members who attended many extra meetings and long nights, and the many volunteers such as those who served on the focus group and architecture committee.

The new agriculture lab at the Prairie School has advanced science equipment that allows things like artificial insemination and hydroponic projects. (Dan Barker / Fort Morgan Times)

It was important for the architecture committee to give its input for what people thought would be best for the school, Johnson said.

"We wanted this to be your building," he said. "This is a community center building."

He specifically thanked the parents of kids who attend the school from outside the district, because that gives the school a little extra budget to allow for small class sizes and salaries that compete with those on the Front Range.

They recognize that Prairie School is one of the best schools in Colorado, Johnson said.

Superintendent Joe Kimmel said the school will not be totally done. There are some little things that will be finished over the next week.

The new library at Prairie School has all the technological advances, including a Promethean board and wide screen TV. The Promethean board allows teachers to put the Internet and computer images up on a board for the students. (Dan Barker / Fort Morgan Times)

It may be a few weeks before the multi-purpose room is done, he said.

Kimmel thanked the Prairie School board members, contractors, employees, parents, students and community members for their support.

He said the community had built something to last for the next 50 years.

School student leader Rebecca Kaiser, 16, of Stoneham said she never would have thought she would start her junior year in a new building.

She noted that the teachers were moving in and making it come alive with the "Prairie spirit."

Not only is the new school a place for learning, it is a place to instill character, Kaiser said.

This was a pretty historic day, truly a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, Johnson said.